Queen of Hearts
by Tangled4ever
Summary: 'I'd like her better if she'd lose at cards' After countless attempts throughout the years, Derek thinks he might finally stand a chance at beating his beloved... Fluffy one-shot.


**Hello again! This is just a small oneshot in celebration of me completing Year 10… Just for the record, I made the cover myself (the pics are from Google, but I did the editing)… Anyway, enjoy!**

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**Queen of Hearts**

Prince Derek made his way through the palace after a long morning of completing his royal duties with his friend and adviser, Rogers. It was a beautiful April day, and thankfully there hadn't been much on his to-do list.

It had been 8 months since Zelda's defeat and Odette's second time of being brought back from the dead, and life since then had been both the same and completely different. Festival Days was a big success, although despite winning the obstacle course Jean-Bob _still_ hadn't managed to convince people of his so-called 'royal status'. Whizzer had become quite a good friend to them, promising to come back next summer once he'd caught up with his family. Other than that, things were mostly the same, with the exception of one little something… Or rather, someone…

Slightly over a month after the events of Zelda, Derek and Odette received the news that they were expecting their first child in 8 months' time, much to both of their delights.

And now, only one month stood between them and holding their baby. Their precious little cygnet…

Lost in thought, Derek barely noticed the short, purple-haired maid making her way down the same hall. Bumping into each other, the two nearly tripped. Regaining his balance in seconds, Derek quickly reached out to help her steady the tray in her hands.

"Sorry Bridget," he apologised. "I should've been more careful."

"That's okay. Me fine…" the elderly woman replied.

"Good." Bridget resumed her walk down the hall, and Derek turned to match her stride. The prince cast a glance at the tray in the maid's hands. The tray contained two plates; one held three slices of newly baked bread, while the other contained some freshly cooked fish. It was a fairly safe guess that she was heading up to his and Odette's bedchamber. After all, perhaps due to her time as a swan, that was pretty much the only thing she could keep down right now...

"What are you up to?"

"Me take food to Odette. She very tired from throwing up breakfast," she explained, then sighed, "Odette be much much unhappy…"

Derek sighed, all too aware of what she meant. Odette's morning sickness kicked in the same time as her cravings - 3 and a half months into the pregnancy - although they thankfully weren't too bad. However, now that the birth was only a month away, Odette was in so much pain from carrying the weight of their unborn child that Derek - having already lost her twice - had the royal doctor order her to stay on bedrest. To make matters worse, she'd caught a cold, which did nothing but increase the severity of her morning sickness.

"Bridget… Why don't I take that up to Odette…" he offered. "I've finished all my work and I'm sure Odette would like the company…"

"Okay," she replied, passing the tray to the prince.

"Thanks," he smiled. Giving him a clumsy curtsy, Bridget made her way back to the kitchen, leaving him alone in the hall. Turning on his heel, he carefully carried the food up to his and Odette's room.

Arriving at the door, he steadied the tray in his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in," a tired, soft voice croaked back.

Opening the door, Derek walked in to see his wife sitting up in bed. She looked very tired, like she hadn't slept in days. Yet she still found the strength to offer him a gentle smile.

"Hey handsome," she greeted him as he came to sit on the edge of the bed. Seeing the tray in his hands, she gave him a hopeful look, "Is that for me?"

"Yeah," he replied, setting the tray beside her. "Bridget just cooked it."

"She's so sweet…" Odette commented, eating a small piece of fish.

Nodding slightly, he gazed at her large, round stomach, "How's our little cygnet?"

"Good. Kinda restless though…"

"And you?"

She sighed, "Same… That plus it's really boring just lounging around in bed all day."

"I'm sorry," Derek apologised, even though he knew it wasn't his fault.

"It's okay," she replied, gently stroking his cheek as he placed a hand on her baby bump. "It's worth it to have this baby with you…"

Derek smiled, kissing her hand, "Would you like me to get you a book or something?"

"Actually, if you're up for it, I was kinda hoping for a game of cards…"

This made him smile; at least she still had _some_ of her usual energy. "What would you like to play?"

"Blackjack; first to 100 points wins."

"Two words - you're, ON!"

For the next half an hour, the two battled for the winner's title, much like they did when they were kids. Although it didn't take long for him to realise she wasn't as 'with it' as she normally was.

For a while, she see seemed to forget about her cold, but that changed when she started coughing violently, sending most of the cards onto the floor.

"I'm sorry Derek," Odette sniffed, looking like she was about to cry.

"It's okay, love," he replied, tenderly kissing her cheek to prevent the tears. Glancing at the floor, the prince cringed; it was covered in cards, and there was no way of telling which were hers and which were from the deck. "Odette, love, which cards did you have?"

"Umm… Two of spades, seven of diamonds and two of hearts," she replied as he climbed onto the floor.

Scanning the floor, he quickly found her cards. Two 2's and a seven; a current total of 11, as opposed to his 19. At this rate, he was going to win, for the first time in history. While his physical self was silent, his heart gave a disappointed sigh.

"_I think you really sorta like her, fess up…"_

"_I'd like her better if she'd lose at cards!"_

He'd waited years for this day - the day he'd finally give a triumphant cheer and bask in her irritated look. But right now, he just couldn't do it. His love for her was far too great for him to do that while she was so sick and miserable.

As he collected the cards, he found one off to the side. The card depicted two faces of a woman, a single red heart next to each face. Picking up the card, Derek looked up at the woman lying in the bed in front of him. She was looking away from him, making a sandwich with the last of her bread and fish. Even in this state - red nose, droopy eyelids, dishevelled hair - he still saw her as the most beautifully breath-taking woman in the world. She was a queen; the Queen of his Heart.

Looking back down, he finished collecting the deck of cards, but before he stood up, he placed the 'Queen of Hearts' face down at the top of the pile. Derek stood up and sat back down on the bed, handing her her hand and setting down the rest of the deck.

"Whose turn is it?" she asked, looking rather tired.

"Yours." Crossing his fingers behind his back, he waited for her to choose her next move. _'Come on… Draw one more card…'_

"Twist," she spoke softly. Derek did his best to hide a smile as he passed her the card.

Inspecting it, Odette smiled a small, confident smile, which she quickly tried to hide, "Stick."

"Alright." Looking at his cards, the prince pretended to ponder his next move. After a moment, he informed her, "I'm happy with my hand... Stick."

Derek turned over his cards, revealing the 'King of Hearts', the 3 of diamonds and the 6 of clubs. His beloved's eyes lit up with triumph, and she revealed her cards.

"No!" Derek groaned, pretending to be surprised.

"I won!"

"I don't believe this!" he exclaimed, faking irritation. "Even when you're _sick_ I can't beat you!"

Odette laughed, coughing slightly.

"Play again?" she challenged, her pain finally giving way to her newfound confidence, allowing it and her endless joy to shine bright in her sparkling blue orbs.

Derek laughed, happy to see that familiar twinkle in her eyes, but also knowing he should have seen this coming.

"No love, you and my beautiful little cygnet need your rest," he replied, placing the pack of cards on her dressing table. "You get some sleep, and _maybe_ we can play again later…"

"If your ego's not still bruised…"the princess muttered under her breath, unable to hide the small, cocky smile on her face.

Derek turned, looking at her with playful smile, "Alright, you asked for it…"

Before she could even ask, he was back at her side, peppering her face with light kisses and tickling the sides of her swollen belly. In fact, looking at them and hearing her unbroken laughter, one would never have known that she was sick.

"Okay! Okay, I'm sorry! STOP!"

Smirking, he obeyed her wishes, "Fine. Now get some sleep…"

Odette smiled weakly, not from pain but from complete bliss, and snuggled deep into the covers, drifting off to sleep as her husband tucked her in.

"I love you…" he whispered, kissing her cheek. Picking up the empty tray and backing away from the bed, he quietly opened the door and left the room. Closing the door, he looked down at the three friends waiting by the door.

"Keep an eye on Odette for me..." he instructed them.

Puffin gave him a thumbs-up with his wing, "No fear!"

Groaning loudly, Jean-Bob hopped off Speed's shell and lunged at the puffin bird, grabbing his beak to keep him from talking, "Say it again, and I will pluck your feathers out, _one by one_… capisce?"

Derek shook his head at the frog, "Speed, you're in charge of keeping Jean-Bob from hurting Puffin."

"Yes sir," the turtle replied, giving a slow, sluggish salute.

Saluting back, Derek left the trio guarding his beloved while he took her tray back to the kitchen.

"Well, well, well..." Derek laughed as he entered the kitchen, handing the tray to one of the cooks. "Should've known _you'd_ be here..."

The 'you' in question was his best friend and loyal companion, Bromley.

"What?" the tubby man answered sarcastically, his mouth full of bread, cheese, lettuce and ham. "Can't a guy get some lunch?"

Glancing at the clock, the prince walked over to his friend, "I suppose it is near lunch time…"

Bromley offered him one of his sandwiches, his friend gladly taking it.

"Hey Brom, you'll never guess what I just did…" Derek teased.

"What?" his loyal friend asked curiously, taking another bite from his sandwich.

The prince reached over and whispered in his ear, "I came the closest I've ever come to beating Odette at cards…"

"No way!" Bromley exclaimed. "How?"

"We were playing Blackjack; winner was the first to get 100 points. Anyway, after we'd played a couple of rounds Odette had 79 points and I had 80. We were halfway through another round when she started coughing, and sent her hand and the deck of cards flying..."

"So what happened?"

"She had to tell me what cards she had so I could give her her hand back, so after she told me she had two 2's and a seven, I put the Queen of Hearts at the top of the deck..."

Bromley nearly choked on his sandwich, and exclaimed, "You let her win! Wh- But- Why? You've been trying to beat her forever!"

A small smile taking form at his lips, Derek replied simply, "Because... I love her…"

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***dreamy sigh* Everlasting love… And don't we all love the banter between Jean-Bob and Puffin?**

**Please review! (:**


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